A. The Company does hereby recognize the Union as the sole labor organization representing all of the Company's agricultural employees (hereafter called "workers") in the unit set forth in Agricultural Labor Relations Board's certification in case number 76-RC-17-E(R). In the event the Agricultural Labor Relations Board certifies other employees not here included within the certified unit, such additional employees shall be included under the terms of this Agreement. The term "worker" shall not include office and sales employees, security guards and supervisory employees who have the authority to hire, transfer, suspend, layoff, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward or discipline other workers or the responsibility to direct them or adjust their grievances or effectively recommend such action, if, in connection with the foregoing, the exercise of such authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature but requires the use of independent judgment.

B. The Company agrees that no business device, including joint ventures, partnerships or any other forms of agricultural business operations shall be used by the Company for the purpose of circumventing the obligations of this Collective Bargaining Agreement subject, however, to the provisions of ARTICLE 37, Subcontracting, and ARTICLE 38, Grower-Shipper Contracts.

C. The Company further recognizes the rights and obligations of the Union to negotiate wages, hours and conditions of employment and to administer this Agreement on behalf of covered workers.

D. Neither the Company nor its representatives will take any action to disparage, denigrate or subvert the Union. Neither the Union nor its representatives will take any action to disparage, denigrate or subvert the Company.

A. Union membership shall be a condition of employment. Each worker shall be required to become a member of Union immediately following five (5) continual days after the beginning of employment, or after five (5) days from the date of the signing of this Agreement, whichever is later; and to remain a member of Union in good standing. Union shall be the sole judge of the good standing of its members. Any worker who fails to become a member of Union within the time limit set forth herein, or who fails to pay the required initiation fee, periodic dues or regularly authorized assessments as prescribed by Union, or who has been determined to be in bad standing by Union, pursuant to the provisions of the Union's Constitution, shall be immediately discharged upon written notice from Union to Company, and shall not be reemployed until written notice from Union to Company of the worker's good-standing status.

B. Company agrees to furnish to Union in writing, within one (1) week after the execution of this Agreement, a list of its workers, giving the names, addresses, Social Security numbers and type of job classification.

C. Company agrees to deduct from each worker's pay initiation fees, all periodic dues, and assessments as required by Union, upon presentation by the Union of individual authorizations signed by workers, directing Company to make such deductions. Company shall make such deductions from workers' pay for the payroll period in which it is submitted, provided that it is submitted in advance of the close of the pay period, and periodically thereafter as specified on authorizations so long as such authorization is in effect, and shall remit monies weekly. The Company shall provide a monthly summary report as soon as possible, but not later than the twentieth (20th) day of the month following the ending date of the previous month's pay period containing the names of the workers, Social Security numbers, payroll periods covered, gross wages, total hours worked per worker, total number of workers and amount of Union dues deducted during such pay periods from each worker. Union will furnish the forms to be used for authorization and will notify the Company in writing of dues, assessments and initiation fees within five (5) days of the execution of this Agreement and five (5) days before the effective date of any change.

D. The Company will advise new workers that it is a condition of their employment that they must become and thereafter remain members in good standing in the Union immediately following five (5) continual days after the beginning of their employment. The Company shall furnish workers membership applications and dues check-off authorization forms as provided by the Union.

E. Union shall indemnify and hold Company harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, or other forms of liability that may arise out of or by reason of action taken by Company for the purpose of compliance with any of the provisions of this Article.

A. The parties to this Agreement agree that all disputes which arise between the Company and the Union out of the interpretation or application of this Agreement shall be subject to the Grievance and Arbitration Procedure. The parties further agree that the Grievance Procedure of this Agreement shall be the exclusive remedy with respect to any disputes arising under this Agreement, and no other remedies shall be utilized by any person with respect to any dispute involving this Agreement until the Grievance Procedure has been exhausted. Any claim by Union that on-the-job conduct by any non-bargaining unit employee is disrupting working relations may be treated as a Grievance provided that such Grievance is specified in detail.

B. The Company agrees to cooperate to make Union Stewards available to workers wishing to submit a Grievance and to make the Grievance Committee of the Union available to perform their functions under this Agreement.

C. Grievances dropped by either party prior to an arbitration hearing shall be considered as withdrawn without prejudice to either party's position on a similar matter in the future.

D. FIRST STEP: Any grievance arising under this Agreement shall be immediately taken up between the Company supervisor involved and the Union Steward. They shall use their best efforts to resolve the grievance. In the event the grievance is not immediately satisfactorily resolved, the grieving party shall reduce the grievance to writing and set forth the nature of the grievance. A grievance regarding a discharge of an employee must be filed in writing within five (5) days of the discharge. All other grievances must be filed in writing within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of the grievance or thirty (30) days of the discovery thereof. STEP TWO: Any grievance not resolved in the First Step shall be discussed in a meeting between the Grievance Committee and the Company representative delegated to resolve such matters not later than ten (10) calendar days of the filing of the grievance. If the grievance is not satisfactorily resolved in such meeting, the party receiving the grievance shall immediately give a written response to the other regarding its position, including reasons for denial. The failure of the grieving party to appeal to the Second Step within thirty (30) calendar days shall waive the grievance. A Union representative may fully participate in the grievance meeting. STEP THREE: If the foregoing fails to produce settlement, the matter shall be referred to the arbitrator for the area within thirty (30) days. The arbitrator shall consider and decide the grievance referred to him. In cases where more than one (1) grievance is referred to arbitration in an area, the arbitrator may hold consecutive hearings to expedite hearings. The arbitrator shall not have the authority or jurisdiction to modify, add to, or detract from, or alter any provision of this Agreement. Within that limitation, among other things, he shall have authority to award back pay for any loss of earnings from the Company, including the right to revoke any form of discipline including discharge. He shall also have the authority to apply the Agreement and order compliance by all parties within the terms of the Agreement.

A. There shall be no strikes, slowdowns, boycotts, interruptions of work by the Union nor shall there be any lockout by the Company.

B. If any of said events occur, the officers and representatives of the Union and/or Company, as the case may be, shall do everything within their power to end or avert such activity.

C. Workers covered by this Agreement shall not engage in any strike, slowdown or other interruption of work, because such action is not approved by the Union.

A. Duly authorized and designated representatives of the Union shall have right of access to Company premises in connection with conduct of normal Union affairs in administration of this Agreement. In the exercise of the foregoing, there shall be no unnecessary interference with the productive activities of the workers.

B. Before a Union representative contacts any of the workers during working hours, he shall notify the Company that he is on the premises.

C. The Union shall advise the Company of the names of its duly authorized and designated representatives.

A. Company shall have the sole right to discipline and discharge workers for just cause, providing that in the exercise of this right it will not act in violation of the Agreement.

No worker shall be disciplined or discharged except for just cause.

B. Prior to any discharge or suspension, the Company shall notify the Steward or other Union official and such Union representative shall have the right to be present when formal charges are made, if they so desire; provided, however, if a situation occurs in a remote area, wherein the Company deems it necessary to take action and no Steward or Union representative is available, the Company may take action and must give written notice within the time limit in Paragraph C below.

C. The Steward or other Union representative shall have the right to interview workers in private.

Within forty-eight (48) hours after any discharge for just cause, the Union representative will be notified in writing the reasons for such discharge.

D. Individual work pace in relation to piece rate, or incentive plan, shall not be conclusive evidence for the purpose of disciplining or discharging a worker. This provision shall not, however, constitute any limitation on any of the Company's rights to discharge or discipline for unsatisfactory work performance. Discharge and other disciplinary actions are subject to the Grievance and Arbitration provisions of this Agreement.

In accord with the policies of the Company and the Union, it is agreed that there shall be no discrimination against any worker because of race, age, creed, color, religion, sex, political belief, national origin, language spoken, or Union activity.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE FOR UNION BUSINESS A. Any worker elected or appointed to an office or position in the Union shall be granted a leave of absence for a period of continuous service with the Union upon written request of the Union. Ten (10) days notice must be given the Company before the worker takes leave to accept such office or position or chooses to return to work. Such leave of absence shall be without pay. Seniority shall not be broken or suspended by reason of such leave.

B. A temporary leave of absence without pay not to exceed three (3) days for Union business shall be granted under the following conditions: Written notice shall be given by the Union to the Company at least two (2) days prior to commencement of any such leave; Such leaves of absence shall only be granted to workers engaged in harvesting and/or hoeing and thinning and shall not exceed ten per cent (10%) of any such crew; This section shall only apply to Companies whose harvesting operations exceed sixty (60) work days in calendar year; This section shall not apply to operations during critical periods such as the first and last week of harvest, if it would harm operations.

OTHER LEAVES C. A leave of absence without pay shall also be granted to workers by the Company upon workers applying to and being confirmed by the Company for any of the following reasons without loss of seniority: For Jury Duty or Witness Duty when subpoenaed. A worker who serves in the U. S. Military and notifies the Company and Union in writing prior to leaving for such service, and reports for work within thirty (30) days after being discharged from such service, shall not lose any seniority, job rights, or other benefits. Upon return from such service, such worker shall be granted a job equal to that he or she would have had with the Company had he or she remained in Company's continued employ, provided, however, any renewal of enlistment beyond the original one will serve to break seniority unless such action violates the Selective Service Act. Up to two (2) years of illness or injury requiring absence from job. The Company may require substantiation by medical certificate or other adequate proof of illness. For valid personal reasons, not to exceed thirty (30) days. All leaves in excess of three (3) days shall be in writing on approved leave-of-absence forms provided by the Company. Such forms shall be signed by the Company representative, the worker requesting the leave, and by the Union Steward or other Union representative to signify receipt of the Union's copy. Leave of absence shall be extended by the Company for a valid personal reason, if a request for such an extension is made by the worker in writing to the Company with a copy to the Union prior to the termination of the original leave, provided, however, that a request for an extension may be submitted simultaneously with the request for a leave of absence for valid personal reasons if the worker has special circumstances which require additional time.

Leaves of absence schedules, under this section, where more workers have applied for a leave of absence at the same time than can be spared by the Company, shall be allocated on the basis of seniority with the worker having the highest seniority having first preference for that leave of absence. However, where a worker requests an emergency leave, the Union and the Company may agree to his/her leave in preference to that worker over other workers with higher seniority.

Failure to report for work at the end of an approved leave of absence or accepting employment with another employer during an approved leave of absence shall terminate seniority in accordance with ARTICLE 4, Seniority.

Company agrees that all conditions of employment for workers relating to wages, hours of work, and general working conditions shall be maintained at no less than the highest standards in effect as of the date of this Agreement. Conditions of employment shall be improved wherever specific provisions for improvement are made elsewhere in this Agreement.

The Union and the Company agree that during the negotiations which resulted in this Agreement they have fully negotiated and agreed to the terms of the Company's contributions to the R.F.K. Farmworkers Medical Plan and the Juan De La Cruz Farmworkers Pension Plan, that said terms of contribution as set forth herein sets forth the Company's total obligation in respect to medical and pension plans and that, therefore, the obligations of ARTICLE 12 do not extend to any medical and pension plan maintained by the Company prior to this Agreement.

Supervisors and other employees not included in the bargaining unit, shall not perform any work covered by this Agreement, except for instruction, training and emergencies. This paragraph shall not be used as a basis for the purpose of avoiding the recall of bargaining unit workers for work they would normally perform.

A. The Company and Union are interested in the health and safety of employees while working with the Company. It is understood and agreed that it is necessary in the sophisticated farming practices of today that certain agricultural chemicals must be used for the control of pests and growth of the product. Company recognizes that use of certain chemicals may be injurious to farm workers. The use of such chemicals injurious to farm workers must be such so as not to cause injury to employees. Company agrees to make available to Union such records as will disclose the following: Location of field treated with injurious materials; Name of material used by brand name and chemical name and registration number; Date and time material was applied and its formulation; Amount of material applied and its formulation and concentration; Method of application; Applicator's name and address, if any.

B. The Company will comply with all applicable laws relating to the health and safety of farm workers and will not use banned chemicals such as, but not limited to, DDT, DDD, DDE, Aldrin and Dieldrin.

In the event the Company anticipates mechanization of any operation of the Company that will permanently displace workers, the Company, before commencing such mechanical operations, shall meet with the Union to discuss training of displaced workers to operate and maintain the new mechanical equipment, the placement of displaced workers in other jobs with the Company, the training of such workers for other jobs with the Company, or the placing of such workers on a preferential hiring list which the Company and Union will use in conjunction with ARTICLE 3, Hiring.

The parties recognize the value and importance of the Union label. The parties wish to ensure that the public will not be defrauded by a misuse of the Union label. Therefore, the parties agree as follows: Company will make available to the designated Union representatives, at the Union's request: LABELS (1) Trademark registration; (2) Printing source; (3) Number of labels used. The Union label and Union seal are and shall remain the sole property of Union. During the term of this Agreement, Company shall be entitled to the use of said label and seal. It is agreed that during the term of this Agreement each shipping package or container harvested and packed by Union members and shipped by Company shall bear the Union label or seal. In this regard, Company shall not sell, transfer, or assign its right to use said label or seal except upon written permission of Union. The color, size and placement of the label or seal on particular packages or containers shall be determined by the Company. SECURITY CLAUSE. In the event of the Company's misuse of the Union label or seal on packages or units harvested and packed by non-Union workers, it is recognized that such misuse will cause damage to Union. In the event that the Union revokes the Union label or seal, it shall give reasonable notice to the Company and the Company agrees to return same forthwith, or if same cannot be returned then, on request of Union, the label or seal shall be completely obliterated on any package, container or unit. Following of industry practice with respect to exchange of sizes, mixed cars, private labels or purchase of produce to fill out an order shall not be considered "misuse" of the Union label or seal or a violation of any provision of this Agreement.

A. A worker who is required to report for work and does report and is furnished no work shall be paid at least four (4) hours at the worker's hourly rate of pay or the worker's average hourly piece rate earnings based on the preceding payroll week.

If workers commence work and they are furnished less than four (4) hours of work, hourly paid workers shall be paid at least four (4) hours that day at their hourly rate of pay, and piece-rate workers shall be paid the piece rate earned during the time worked and general field harvesting hourly rate for the remaining time up to four (4) hours that day.

This section shall not apply where work covered by this Agreement is delayed or cannot be carried out because of rain, frost, government condemnation of crop, or other causes beyond the control of the Company.

B. A worker shall be paid for all time he is required to remain on the job at the hourly rate. This shall not apply to piece-rate workers after they commence work.

C. Any call may be rescinded by notification to employees at least six (6) hours prior to the time scheduled for reporting to work.

Workers shall have paid rest periods of ten (10) minutes each, which insofar as practical, shall be in the middle of each continuous four (4) hour work period or major fraction thereof.

Vacation pay shall be granted to eligible workers who qualify for such vacations. Workers shall be eligible in the fiscal year following the first anniversary of continuous employment and annually thereafter for vacation pay and a one (1) week vacation, provided that in order to qualify for vacation pay the worker shall work the hours set forth below in the prior fiscal year. Vacation pay will be the percentage specified below of the worker's gross Company earnings in the qualifying fiscal year.

Hourly workers - 1000 & up - two per cent (2%) Piece-rate workers - 700 & up - two per cent (2%)

The employee who has qualified for a vacation shall be allowed time off, with the consent of the Company, as specified herein with no loss of seniority.

Commencing January 30, 1977, and thereafter, a worker who has maintained his seniority for four (4) or more consecutive years shall receive double the above vacation benefits.

To make funeral arrangements and to attend the funeral of a member of the immediate family (father, mother, child, brother, sister, husband or wife, mother-in-law, or father-in-law), the worker who has worked for the Company at least five (5) days, including days off on excused absences, during the two (2) weeks preceding the week of the funeral will be paid what he would have earned had he been working for the Company, not to exceed three (3) days. The Company may require a death certificate or other evidence of death.

A. Commencing with the effective date of this Agreement, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day shall be paid holidays.

Holiday pay shall be the daily average pay earned during the payroll week immediately preceding the holiday.

B. To be eligible for a paid holiday not worked, a worker must work at least five (5) days during the two (2) payroll weeks immediately preceding the payroll week in which the holiday falls, and must work the scheduled workdays both immediately before and after the holiday.

If the next scheduled workday after the holiday is more than five (5) calendar days after the holiday, the requirement for work on the scheduled workday after the holiday shall not apply.

C. Any work performed on the above-listed holidays shall be paid for at the rate of one and one-half (1 ½) times the regular rate of pay and shall be in addition to the worker's regular earnings on that day.

Workers who have worked at least five (5) days during the two (2) weeks preceding the week in which the following events occur shall receive the benefit of this ARTICLE. A worker will be paid jury duty or witness pay for testifying in any legal proceeding not between the parties for any days of work missed due to the performance of such service. Jury duty or witness pay is defined as the difference between the fees received by such worker for performing such service and what he would have received had he been working for the Company for each day of service. To receive pay under this ARTICLE the worker must provide Company with a copy or notice summoning him to appear and if so requested, documentary evidence of the amount of fees received for performing such service.

A. When Company-furnished transportation is available, workers using such transportation shall receive daily travel allowance based upon the following schedule from the place designated where the worker is told to report for the transportation and the job site:

40-64 road miles ½ hour each way 65-89 road miles 1 hour each way 90-119 road miles 1 ½ hours each way 120 road miles & over 2 hours each way

B. When Company-furnished transportation is not available and workers furnish their own transportation, they shall receive daily travel allowance as provided above.

A. Company shall keep full and accurate records, including total hours worked, piece-rate or incentive-rate records, total wages and total deductions. Workers shall be furnished a copy of the itemized deductions, hourly rates, hours worked and total wages each payday which shall include the worker piece-rate production records. The daily record of piece-rate production for crews paid on a crew basis shall be given to the appropriate Steward, upon request.

B. Union shall have the right, upon reasonable notice given to the Company, to examine time sheets, work production or other records that pertain to workers' compensation.